Question: There are 71 trees on the banks of the river. The right bank has 40 of them. How many trees are on the left bank of the river?
Solution: The number of trees on the left bank of the river is the difference between the number of trees on both banks of the river and the number of trees on the right bank. The difference is $71 - 40$ trees. $71 - 40 = 31$ trees.